Comment: It’s the return of the Coolest Helmet feature! NNAS has one of the most eye-catching helmets in D3. In fact when they wear their maroon jerseys and the gold pants their entire uniform looks 1A-caliber! The Builders’ motto is “We build great ships: Craftmanship … Scholarship … Leadership” If you’re wondering why, if they build great ships, they’re not called the Shipbuilders instead, well, just say it out loud a few times and you’ll see the potential minefield they’re avoiding.

(Courtesy University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Sports Information. The parenthetical comments are mine alone.)

CHICKASHA – Not just one, but two USAODrovers stood out among conference opponents as playing exceptional soccer last week — and became Sooner Athletic Conference Players of the Week.

Both Calli (“DB“) Cooper and Nikola Cakarevic (One half of Drover soccer’s “NC Hammer” duo along with Niall Crick, as readers of this blog will recall) were honored with Offensive Player of the Week. (Balladeer’s note: When Nikola scores a goal the Drover fans should chant Niiiiiiiiiiiiikolaaaaaaaaaa like in those old Ricola ads)

Calli Cooper, a sophomore from Norman, shined with back-to-back hat tricks (and hat-to-hat back tricks – rimshot) and four assists in the two games the Drovers played last week, first against the Bethel CollegeThreshers and then the Tabor CollegeBluejays a few days later.

“Calli I feel is just starting to play to her potential this season,” Hampton said.

Cooper is by far the team’s leading scorer this season. She’s made more than 50 percent of her shots on goal so far in 2010, and she is eighth in the division in goals per game (1.5) and in points per game (3.83). Additionally, she’s 10th in total points with 23. She’s also ranked in the top 30 in seven other categories. (And the Top 7 in 30 other categories)

This season, Cooper has scored nine goals and had five assists.

With seven goals in two games, Cakarevic was crucial in the Drovers’ wins this week. In addition to tying his own school record with five goals in a game against Tabor College on Friday, (Five goals being more than some teams have scored so far this season) Cakarevic scored two of USAO’s three goals against Bethel College days before. He scored the team’s game-winning goal against Bethel. (Any odds on how long it will be before he marries a Spice Girl?)

He has scored 11 goals already for USAO and is third in the division in goals per game (1.67) and points per game (3.5). He’s also seventh in total goals (10) and ranked in the top 30 in four other categories. (And the Top 4 in 30 other- oh, sorry, I used that joke already)

“Nikola had a great week,” Hampton said. “He is an exceptional player, and we look forward to him continuing his success in SAC play.” (Don’t go there!)

The Drover men are undefeated (6-0) and ranked No. 10 in the country going into Tuesday’s game against conference rivals the Oklahoma City UniversityStars . The women are 4-1-1 overall.

As we rapidly approach the end of September let’s take a look at the Top 3 teams in the polls.

FOOTBALL

NAIA

1. SIOUX FALLS COUGARS – (4-0) As they prepare to leave the NAIA the Cougars are hoping to go out in style – as Threepeat Champions in football. All eyes are on the Cougars and sports historians are waiting to see how this season ends.

2. CARROLL (MT) FIGHTING SAINTS – (4-0) The Halos move up to the # 2 spot vacated by the Lindenwood Lions, who were upset by the MNU Pioneers. Having beaten their arch-rivals the Montana Tech Orediggers for the move up must be especially sweet.

3. SAINT XAVIER COUGARS – (5-0) Fun fact: In all sports in the NAIA approximately 19 teams in the Top 25 are called the Cougars! (I’m kidding!) SXU has reached the 3-spot for the 1st time since 2007 led by the superheroics of QB Anthony “Crop-Man” Kropp and WR Mike “M Squared” Maher who leads ALL divisions in scoring by the way! Want to see how famous these 2 have become? Google Anthony “Crop-Man” Kropp, and then Mike “M Squared” Maher!

D3

1. UW-WHITEWATER WARHAWKS – (3-0) In D3 football our Top 2 teams have been sharing the National Championship for the past 5 years in a row. Yes, since 2005 the D3 title game has been played between the Warhawks and our # 2 team. Some love that fact, some hate it and others just say if the other teams don’t like it they can rise up and beat 1 of them in the playoffs.

2. MT UNION PURPLE RAIDERS – (3-0) Even before the Purple Raiders and the Warhawks started monopolizing the D3 Championship the Purple Raiders were an established dynasty and were practically a fixture in the title matchup. Will it be 6 in a row between our Top 2 teams? Stay tuned!

3. WESLEY WOLVERINES – (4-0) Watch out for these Wolverines (Team slogan: “100% Rich Rodriguez-Free!”) who have got to be sick of playing 3rd fiddle to the Warhawks and Purple Raiders. Wesley will be “sneaking around the chicken coop” as Lee Corso says and are many people’s pick to upset our Top 2 if anyone can.

D2

1. MN-DULUTH BULLDOGS – (4-0) UMD won the 2008 D2 National Championship and are itching to wear the crown again. With the Grand Valley State Lakers out of the top spot the Bulldogs are riding high at least until the playoffs roll around. That’s right, fans of 1A football. In the divisions covered by Balladeer’s Blog they settle it on the field!

2. GVSU LAKERS – (4-0) Speak of the devils! Even before their Brian Kelly days the Lakers were perennial contenders in D2, piling up a slew of Championships. They’re likely to use their recent fall from the top spot as motivation to win big the rest of the way rather than simply fume over it.

3. NORTH ALABAMA LIONS – (4-0) They’ve had THE Terry Bowden coaching them for the last few years, they’ve got the coolest helmets out of the Top 3 teams in D2 and they play in the Gulf South Conference, which is often called “The SEC of D2 football”. Well, at least until the Arkansas teams bolt the conference after the end of this season.

VOLLEYBALL

NAIA

1. FRESNO PACIFIC SUNBIRDS – (14-0) It’s not true that the Sunbirds haven’t lost a match since the Eisenhower Administration, it just seems that way. (It was really during Reagan’s 2nd term) These ladies are trying for 4 National Championships in a row! Will they make it? Will they actually LOSE a game at some point? Keep checking back to find out!

2. LEE FLAMES – (14-0) The Flames move up from the 3-spot last week. You almost wish the playoffs would start this week so that the Sunbirds and the Flames could meet each other with no losses, winner take all. You can bet the Flames will try to be the closest thing to a rival that Fresno Pacific has yet had!

3. BIOLA EAGLES – (12-4) The Eagles flew all the way up from #9 leapfrogging still-undefeated teams like the Red Raiders and the Scorpions. Like our #1 team Biola plays in the Golden State Athletic Conference, for my money the toughest volleyball conference in the NAIA. How tough? So tough that Biola is 4th in the conference race, yet 3rd in the national rankings!

The Cumberlands Patriots started Mid-South Conference play Saturday with a 35-33 win over the Bethel (TN) Wildcats in an Instant Classic. The Patriots are now 2-2 overall after holding on late to notch this win. Sophomore star Terrance “The Bad TC” Cobb led the team’s rushing attack with 114 yds on 21 attempts plus 1 TD catch. QB “Jammin'” Jay Bright was 6 of 12 with 3 TD’s. On the other side of the ball the Patriots were led by “Dr Defense” himself, Brendan Kelly, who had 20 tackles, an interception and 2 pass breakups, 1 of which sealed the win for UC. Next Saturday the Pats face The Battle For The Brass Lantern against their rivals the Union Bulldogs.

The Lincoln Memorial University LadyRailsplittersvolleyball team came back from being down 2-1 to pull out a 3-2 win over the Newberry College Wolves. The ladies won by scores of 22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 29-27 and 16-14. With this win the Railsplitters are now 8-2 overall and 4-2 in the South Atlantic Conference. Tomorrow LMU will take on the Tusculum Pioneers with the opening serve scheduled for 6:30PM.

Reigning NAIA football champs the Sioux Falls Cougars continued their quest to threepeat as National Champions with a handy 34-10 win over the Hastings Broncos. QB Jon “Jonny East” Eastman gave Broncos defenders fits with his arms and his legs (and his pancreas had them frothing at the mouth with rage) picking up 386 yds through the air and 39 more on the ground. The high point of the game for Hastings, the home team, may have come when a team of skydivers (Insert your own Coleman Francis joke here. Fans of bad movies will get it) delivered the game balls in spectacular fashion prior to kickoff.

The Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers’ volleyball team continues their monumental turnaround this season. At one point sporting a glum record of 1-7 the ladies have won 9 in a row to become 10-7 on the year! Balladeer’s Blog has been following this story since the ladies were still below .500 and this may well be the feel-good story of the fall! This past weekend the Grenadiers defeated the Mountain State Cougars and the Cincinnati Christian Eagles. Jade “Killbot” Troutman led IUS with 11 kills and Lindsey “Aces Wild” Maymon had a match-high 4 service aces against the Cougars. Against the Eagles “Judex” Julie Roeder provided crucial kills to keep the Grens in the game until a big block by PJ “PJ” Cockerell put them up for good. Someone get a movie studio ready for a project about these ladies!

The Johns Hopkins Blue Jays football team crushed the Moravian Greyhounds 41-3 on Saturday. QB “Hurlin'” Hewitt Tomlin went 18 of 33 for 219 yds and 2 TD’s through the air and on the ground led the Blue Jays with 65 yds. 53 of those yds came on a career-long run for Tomlin following a fake in the 2nd quarter. Tomlin has been named the Centennial Conference Offensive Player Of The Week for his performance. The Blue Jays are now 2-1 for the 3-game road series to open the 2010 season.

Two women on the Alverno Inferno volleyball team were named to the Moody Bible Institute All-Tournament Team after the Inferno’s participation in the event this weekend. Chelsea Gulbronson and Morgan Stuckey were the two players named to the All-Tournament Team. Over the course of the 3 matches Gulbronson had 12 kills, 6 service aces and 2 solo blocks. while Stuckey had a team-leading 29 kills, 6 aces and 4 digs.

Comment: Many people don’t realize some Canadian schools play various college sports in America’s lower divisions. I don’t know anybody who doesn’t like pandas unless they were traumatized by the long national nightmare we had trying to get the National Zoo’s panda bears to mate. The men’s teams at Alberta go by the name Golden Bears but since so many teams are called Golden Bears I’m going with the much cooler name the women’s teams use.

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions.

“Win One For Ransburg” – The NAIA’s 6th-ranked MNU Pioneers upset the #2 Lindenwood Lions 26-20. Winning QB Sean Ransburg wrote himself into the pages of college football lore with a well-placed remark toward the end of the game. Clinging to their 6-point lead the Pioneers needed to burn up the remaining 2:37 on the game clock. Picking up 2 first downs would do the trick and as Ransburg reported this moment with his teammates, “I looked into their eyes and told them to tell me how bad they wanted this.” I held a seance to find out how the late Howard Cosell would have described what Ransburg did next and he said “With his troops thus inspired, this latter-day Napoleon of the gridiron turned Pioneer Stadium into his own version of the battlefied of Marengo. A 26-yard completion to tight end Juan Redmon on 3rd and 8 from the Lindenwood 43 gave the battle-hardened MNU team a 1st down and with it the tactical high ground to ensure a victory.” Maybe I should have conjured up someone a little more contemporary instead.